Cable and wire harness

ABSTRACT

A cable includes a plurality of electric wires, and a tape member spirally wound around an assembled article that is formed by twisting the plurality of electric wires. The thickness of the tape member is not less than 0.028 mm and not more than 0.090 mm, a width of the tape member is not less than 18 mm and not more than 35 mm, the tape member is spirally wound with an overlap of not less than ¼ and not more than ½ of the width thereof, and a tensile strength of the tape member is different between the longitudinal direction and the width direction and is smaller in the width direction than in the longitudinal direction.

The present application is based on Japanese patent application Nos.2016-117726 and 2016-117724 filed on Jun. 14, 2016, the entire contentsof which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a cable and a wire harness, in particular, to acable and a wire harness which are used in a vehicle such as automobilefor connection between a wheel side and a vehicle body side.

2. Description of the Related Art

In recent years, electrically operated brake units are used in vehiclessuch as automobiles.

Electro-mechanical brakes (EMB) and electric parking brakes (EPB) areknown as such electrically operated brake units.

The electro-mechanical brakes, also simply called electric frictionbrake or electric brake, are configured that a rotational drive force ofa dedicated electric motor mounted on each wheel of a vehicle iscontrolled according to the operation amount (tread force ordisplacement amount) of a brake pedal by a driver, so that a pistondriven by the electric motor presses brake pads against a disc rotor ofthe wheel to generate a braking force intended by the driver.

The electric parking brakes are configured that a dedicated electricmotor provided on each wheel of a vehicle is driven based on anoperation performed on a parking brake activation switch by a driverafter stopping a vehicle, so that a piston driven by the electric motorpresses brake pads against a disc rotor of the wheel to generate abraking force.

Also, in recent years, sensors, e.g., ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)sensor for detecting the speed of a wheel rotation during motion, airpressure sensor for detecting air pressure of a tire and temperaturesensor, etc., are often mounted on wheels of vehicles.

Accordingly, the wheel side and the vehicle body side are connectedthrough cables in which a signal line for a sensor mounted on a wheeland/or a signal line for controlling an electro-mechanical brake and apower line for supplying power to an electric motor ofelectro-mechanical brake or electric parking brake are housed in onesheath. Such cables with connectors integrally provided at end portionsare wire harnesses.

JP-A-2014-135153 discloses a cable in which a lubricant such as talcpowder is interposed between plural electric wires and a sheath coveringall the plural electric wires together so that friction between theelectric wires and the sheath is reduced to reduce stress applied to theelectric wires when being bent and flex resistance is thereby improved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cable disclosed by JP-A-2014-135153 has a problem that a lubricantsuch as talc powder may be scattered in a workplace when terminating thecable, leading to deterioration of the working environment.

It is an object of the invention to provide a cable and a wire harnesswhich can prevent deterioration of working environment during cabletermination while maintaining flex resistance.

[1] According to an embodiment of the invention, a cable comprises:

a plurality of electric wires; and

a tape member spirally wound around an assembled article that is formedby twisting the plurality of electric wires,

wherein the thickness of the tape member is not less than 0.028 mm andnot more than 0.090 mm, a width of the tape member is not less than 18mm and not more than 35 mm, the tape member is spirally wound with anoverlap of not less than ¼ and not more than ½ of the width thereof, anda tensile strength of the tape member is different between thelongitudinal direction and the width direction and is smaller in thewidth direction than in the longitudinal direction.

[2] According to another embodiment of the invention, a cable comprises:

a plurality of electric wires;

a tape member spirally wound around an assembled article that is formedby twisting the plurality of electric wires; and

a sheath covering the tape member,

wherein surface roughness of the tape member is different between asurface on the assembled article side and a surface on the sheath side,and the surface on the sheath side has a larger surface roughness thanthe surface on the assembled article side.

[3] According to another embodiment of the invention, a wire harnesscomprises: the cable described in [1] or [2]; and a connector attachedto at least one of end portions of the electric wires.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a cable and a wire harnesscan be provided that can prevent deterioration of working environmentduring cable termination while maintaining flex resistance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Next, the present invention will be explained in more detail inconjunction with appended drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle inwhich a cable in an embodiment of the present invention is used;

FIG. 2A is a cross sectional view showing the cable in the embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram illustrating twist directions of atwisted-pair wire and an assembled article and a winding direction of atape member in the cable;

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a wire harnessin the embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4A is a cross sectional view showing the cable in the embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 4B is an explanatory diagram illustrating the twist directions ofthe twisted-pair wire and the assembled article and the windingdirection of the tape member in the cable;

FIG. 5A is a cross sectional view showing the cable in the embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 5B is an explanatory diagram illustrating the twist directions ofthe twisted-pair wire and the assembled article and the windingdirection of the tape member in the cable;

FIG. 6A is a cross sectional view showing the cable in the embodiment ofthe invention; and

FIG. 6B is an explanatory diagram illustrating the twist directions ofthe twisted-pair wire and the assembled article and the windingdirection of the tape member in the cable.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment

An embodiment of the invention will be described below in conjunctionwith the appended drawings.

Description of Vehicle in which Cable is Used

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle inwhich a cable in the present embodiment is used.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 100 is provided with an electric parkingbrake (hereinafter, referred to as “EPB”) 101 as an electricallyoperated brake unit.

The EPB 101 is provided with an EPB motor 101 a and an EPB control unit101 b.

The EPB motor 101 a is a wheel-side device mounted on a wheel 102 of thevehicle 100. The EPB control unit 101 b is mounted on an ECU (electroniccontrol unit) 103 which is a vehicle body-side device of the vehicle100. Alternatively, the EPB control unit 101 b may be mounted on acontrol unit other than the ECU 103, or may be mounted on a dedicatedhardware unit.

The EPB motor 101 a is provided with a piston to which brake pads areattached even though it is not illustrated, and it is configured thatthe piston moved by rotary drive of the EPB motor 101 a presses thebrake pads against a disc rotor of a wheel (the wheel 102) to generate abraking force. A pair of first electric wires 2 as power lines isconnected to the EPB motor 101 a to supply a drive current to the EPBmotor 101 a.

The EPB control unit 101 b is configured to output a drive current tothe EPB motor 101 a for a predetermined period of time (e.g., for 1second) when a parking brake activation switch 101 c is turned from anOFF state to an ON state during the stationary state of the vehicle 100so that the brake pads are pressed against the disc rotor of the wheel102 and a braking force to be applied to the wheel 102 is generated. TheEPB control unit 101 b is also configured to output a drive current tothe EPB motor 101 a when the parking brake activation switch 101 c isturned from the ON state to the OFF state or when an accelerator pedalis depressed so that the brake pads move away from the disc rotor of thewheel and the braking force on the wheel 102 is released. In otherwords, it is configured that an operating state of the EPB 101 ismaintained from when the parking brake activation switch 101 c is turnedon to when the parking brake activation switch 101 c is turned off orthe accelerator pedal is depressed. The parking brake activation switch101 c may be a switch of either a lever-type or pedal-type.

An ABS device 104 is also mounted on the vehicle 100. The ABS device 104is provided with an ABS sensor 104 a and an ABS control unit 104 b.

The ABS sensor 104 a is a rotational speed sensor mounted on the wheel102 to detect a rotation speed of the wheel 102 during motion of thevehicle. The ABS control unit 104 b is mounted on the ECU 103 to controla brake unit based on an output of the ABS sensor 104 a to adjust abraking force applied to the wheel 102 so that the wheel 102 is notlocked when suddenly stopped. A twisted-pair wire 4 (a pair of secondelectric wires 3) as signal lines are connected to the ABS sensor 104 a.

A cable 1 in the present embodiment is obtained by covering the pair offirst electric wires 2 and the twisted-pair wire 4 with one sheath 7(see FIGS. 2A and 2B). The cable 1 extending out of the wheel 102 sideis connected to a wire group 107 inside a junction box 106 provided on avehicle body 105 and is then connected to the ECU 103 and a battery (notshown) via the wire group 107.

Although only one wheel 102 is shown in FIG. 1 to simplify the drawing,the EPB motor 101 a and the ABS sensor 104 a may be mounted on each ofthe wheels 102 of the vehicle 100, or may be mounted on, e.g., onlyfront wheels or only rear wheels of the vehicle 100.

Description of the Cable 1

FIG. 2A is a cross sectional view showing the cable 1 in the presentembodiment and FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram illustrating twistdirections of a twisted-pair wire and an assembled article and a windingdirection of a tape member.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the cable 1 is provided with pluralelectric wires 2 and 3, a tape member 6 spirally wound around anassembled article 5 which is formed by twisting the plural electricwires 2 and 3 together, and a sheath 7 covering the tape member 6.

In the present embodiment, the plural electric wires 2 and 3 include apair of first electric wires 2 and a twisted-pair wire 4 which is formedby twisting a pair of second electric wires 3 having a smaller outerdiameter than the first electric wires 2 and is arranged between thepair of first electric wires 2 in a circumferential direction. Theassembled article 5 is formed by twisting the pair of first electricwires 2 and the twisted-pair wire 4.

The first electric wire 2 has a first conductor 21 and a firstinsulation 22 covering the first conductor 21. The first conductor 21 isconstructed from a stranded conductor formed by twisting highlyconductive strands of copper, etc., and the first insulation 22 isformed of an insulating resin such as cross-linked polyethylene. Strandshaving a diameter of not less than 0.05 mm and not more than 0.30 mm canbe used to form the first conductor 21. When using strands having adiameter of less than 0.05 mm, sufficient mechanical strength may not beobtained, causing a decrease in flex resistance. When using strandshaving a diameter of more than 0.30 mm, flexibility of the cable 1 maydecrease.

The second electric wire 3 has a second conductor 31 and a secondinsulation 32 covering the second conductor 31. The second conductor 31is constructed from a stranded conductor formed by twisting highlyconductive strands of copper, etc., and the second insulation 32 isformed of an insulating resin such as cross-linked polyethylene. Strandshaving a diameter of not less than 0.05 mm and not more than 0.30 mm canbe used to form the second conductor 31, in the same manner as the firstconductor 21.

The first electric wire 2 in the present embodiment is constructed usinga power line for supplying a drive current to the EPB motor 101 amounted on the wheel 102 of the vehicle 100. Meanwhile, the secondelectric wire 3 in the present embodiment is constructed using a signalline for the ABS sensor 104 a mounted on the wheel 102.

The cross sectional area (the conductor cross-sectional area) of thefirst conductor 21 and the thickness of the first insulation 22 in thefirst electric wire 2 are appropriately adjusted according to magnitudeof required drive current. In the present embodiment, since the firstelectric wires 2 are used as power line and the second electric wires 3are used as signal lines, the cross sectional area (the conductorcross-sectional area) of the first conductor 21 is larger than that ofthe second conductor 31. In the present embodiment, considering that thefirst electric wire 2 is a power line for supplying a drive current tothe EPB motor 101 a, the outer diameter of the first conductor 21 is setto not less than 1.5 mm and not more than 3.0 mm and the outer diameterof the first electric wire 2 is set to not less than 2.0 mm and not morethan 4.0 mm.

The outer diameter of the second electric wire 3 is smaller than that ofthe first electric wire 2. In other words, the outer diameter of thefirst electric wire 2 is larger than that of the second electric wire 3.In the present embodiment, the twisted-pair wire 4 formed by twisting apair (two) of second electric wires 3 are twisted with the pair of firstelectric wires 2 to form the assembled article 5. Therefore, from theviewpoint of making the outer diameter of the cable 1 close to acircular shape, it is desirable to use the second electric wire 3 whichis about half the outer diameter of the first electric wire 2. Indetail, it is possible to use the second electric wire 3 having an outerdiameter of not less than 1.0 mm and not more than 1.8 mm. The secondelectric wire 3 used in this example has the second conductor 31 with aconductor cross-sectional area of not less than 0.13 mm² and not morethan 0.30 mm².

A twist pitch P1 of the twisted-pair wire 4 is set by taking intoaccount the outer diameter of the second electric wire 3 so that anunnecessary load is not applied to the second electric wires 3. Thetwist pitch P1 of the twisted-pair wire 4 here is about 30 mm, but thetwist pitch P1 of the twisted-pair wire 4 is not limited thereto. Thetwist pitch P1 of the twisted-pair wire 4 is a distance along alongitudinal direction of the twisted-pair wire 4 between points atwhich a given second electric wire 3 is located at the same position ina circumferential direction of the twisted-pair wire 4.

The assembled article 5 is formed by twisting the pair of first electricwires 2 and the twisted-pair wire 4. In the present embodiment, thetwisted-pair wire 4 is arranged between the pair of first electric wires2 in the circumferential direction. In the cross section shown in FIG.2A, one of the first electric wire 2, the other first electric wires 2and the twisted-pair wire 4 are arranged clockwise in this order. Thetwisted-pair wire 4 is arranged so as to get into a triangle boundaryarea between the pair of first electric wires 2.

The assembled article 5 may be configured that plural thread-like(fibrous) fillers extending in the longitudinal direction of the cable 1are arranged between the pair of first electric wires 2/the twisted-pairwire 4 and the tape member 6 and are twisted together with the pair offirst electric wires 2 and the twisted-pair wire 4 even though it is notshown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. By arranging the fillers to fill a gap betweenthe pair of first electric wires 2/the twisted-pair wire 4 and the tapemember 6, a cross sectional shape after winding the tape member 6 aroundthe assembled article 5 can be closer to a circle. Some of the pluralfillers may be arranged in triangle boundary areas between the firstelectric wires 2 and the twisted-pair wire 4 and triangle boundary areasbetween the pair of first electric wires 2. As the filler, it ispossible to use a fibrous material such as polypropylene yarn, spunrayon yarn (rayon staple fiber), aramid fiber, nylon fiber or fiberplastic, a paper or a cotton yarn.

In the EPB 101, a drive current is supplied to the motor 101 a basicallywhen the vehicle is stationary. On the other hand, the ABS sensor 104 ais used when the vehicle is in motion and the ABS sensor 104 a is notused during when the drive current is supplied through the firstelectric wires 2. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a shieldconductor around each electric wire 2, 3 or the twisted pair wire 4 isomitted. Omitting the shield conductor allows the cable 1 to have asmaller outer diameter than when providing the shield conductor and alsoreduces the number of components, thereby reducing the cost.

Although the first electric wire 2 for supplying a drive current to theEPB motor 101 a is described here, the first electric wire 2 may be usedto supply a drive current to, e.g., an electric motor of anelectro-mechanical brake (hereinafter, referred to as EMB) provided onthe wheel 102. In this case, since an electric current flows through thefirst electric wires 2 also during motion of the vehicle 100, it isdesirable to provide a shield conductor around the first electric wires2 or around the twisted pair wire 4 (around the second electric wires 3)to prevent malfunction of the ABS device 104 due to noise.

Meanwhile, although the second electric wire 3 as a signal line for theABS sensor 104 a is described here, the second electric wire 3 may be asignal line used for another sensor provided on the wheel 102, e.g., fora temperature sensor or an air pressure sensor for detecting airpressure of a tire, etc., or may be a damper wire used to control adamping device of the vehicle 100, or moreover, may be a signal line forcontrolling the EMB (a CAN cable, etc.). Even when the first electricwire 2 is used to supply a drive current to the EPB motor 101 a, it isdesirable to provide a shield conductor around the first electric wires2 or around the twisted pair wire 4 (around the second electric wires 3)in case of using the second electric wires 3 during the stationary stateof the vehicle 100, to prevent malfunction due to noise.

The outer diameter of the entire assembled article 5 is, e.g., about 5mm to 9 mm. A twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5 is set by takinginto account the outer diameter of the assembled article 5 so that anunnecessary load is not applied to the first electric wires 2 and thetwisted pair wire 4. The twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5 hereis about 60 mm, but the twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5 is notlimited thereto. The twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5 is adistance along a longitudinal direction of the assembled article 5 twopoints at which a given first electric wire 2 or the twisted pair wire 4is located at the same position in a circumferential direction of theassembled article 5.

The tape member 6 is spirally wound around the assembled article 5, andthe tape member 6 is covered with the sheath 7. The sheath 7 is formedof, e.g., a urethane resin. In this example, a 0.8 mm-thick urethaneresin is used as the sheath 7. Although a shield conductor around thetape member 6 is omitted in the present embodiment since the firstelectric wires 2 are used to supply a drive current to the EPB motor 101a and the drive current flows through the first electric wires 2 in arelatively short time, a shield conductor may be provided between thetape member 6 and the sheath 7 or around the sheath 7 depending on theintended use, etc., of the first electric wires 2.

Description of the Tape Member 6

The tape member 6 is spirally wound around the assembled article 5 so asto be in contact with all electric wires 2 and 3 covered with the tapemember 6. The tape member 6 is interposed between the assembled article5 and the sheath 7 and serves to reduce friction between the assembledarticle 5 (the electric wires 2 and 3) and the sheath 7 when being bent.In other words, providing the tape member 6 can reduce friction betweenthe electric wires 2, 3 and the sheath 7 without a lubricant such astalc powder which is used in the conventional technique, and thusreduces stress applied to the electric wires 2 and 3 when being bent,and it is thereby possible to improve flex resistance.

The tape member 6 is spirally wound around the assembled article 5 whileapplying a tensile force. Thus, it is necessary to use the tape member 6which is not broken by a tensile force applied during winding.Meanwhile, the tape member 6 is removed together with the sheath 7 whenthe cable is terminated. Therefore, it is desirable to use the tapemember 6 which can be easily removed at the time of cable termination.

For this reason, the tape member 6 used in the present embodiment isconfigured that the tensile strength is different between thelongitudinal direction and the width direction and is smaller in thewidth direction than in the longitudinal direction.

By having a large tensile strength in the longitudinal direction, thetape member 6 can be prevented from being broken when winding around theassembled article 5. In detail, the tensile strength of the tape member6 in the longitudinal direction is desirably not less than 120 MPa.

In addition, by having a small tensile strength in the width direction,the tape member 6 can be easily torn at the time of cable terminationand thus can be easily removed when removing the sheath 7, and strippingwork efficiency is thereby improved.

For the tape member 6, the tensile strength in the width direction isdesirably not more than ⅔ of the tensile strength in the longitudinaldirection. In more detail, the tensile strength of the tape member 6 inthe width direction is preferably not less than 15 MPa and not more than80 MPa. When the tensile strength of the tape member 6 in the widthdirection is less than 15 MPa, the tape member 6 is easily torn and isdifficult to handle, and also, the tape member 6 may be torn due to loadapplied when the cable is bent. On then other hand, when the tensilestrength of the tape member 6 in the width direction is more than 80MPa, it is difficult to remove the tape member 6 at the time of cabletermination, causing a decrease in stripping work efficiency.

The thickness of the tape member 6 is preferably not less than 0.0028 mmand not more than 0.090 mm. This is because when the thickness of thetape member 6 is less than 0.0028 mm, the tape member 6 cannot havesufficient tensile strength in the longitudinal direction and is likelyto be torn at the time of winding. On the other hand, when the thicknessof the tape member 6 is more than 0.090 mm, it is hard to tear the tapemember 6, making the stripping work difficult.

The width of the tape member 6 is preferably not less than 18 mm and notmore than 35 mm. This is because when the width of the tape member 6 isless than 18 mm, the tape member 6 cannot have sufficient tensilestrength in the longitudinal direction and is likely to be torn at thetime of winding. On the other hand, when the width of the tape member 6is more than 35 mm, the tape member 6 needs to be cut by a tool (blade),etc., in a large area at the time of stripping work and stripping workefficiency may decrease.

The width of the tape member 6 is determined so that creases are notformed on the tape member 6 when the tape member 6 is wound, and it isdesirable that the width of the tape member 6 to be used be decreasedwith a decrease in the outer diameter of the entire assembled article 5.In the present embodiment, since the outer diameter of the assembledarticle 5 is 5 mm to 9 mm, the width of the tape member 6 not causingcreases is up to about 50 mm. In other words, when the width of the tapemember 6 is not less than 18 mm and not more than 35 mm, it is alsopossible to prevent creases from being formed on the tape member 6 atthe time of winding.

The tape member 6 is spirally wound around the assembled article 5 so asto overlap at a portion in a width direction (a direction perpendicularto the longitudinal direction and thickness direction of the tape member6). In the present embodiment, the tape member 6 is spirally wound withan overlap of not less than ¼ and not more than ½ of the width thereof.When the overlap width of the tape member 6 is more than ½, the tapemember 6 is partially triple-overlapped, making the stripping workdifficult. Therefore, the overlap width of the tape member 6 at leastneeds to be not more than ½. In the present embodiment, the overlappingportion of the tape member 6 is not adhered by an adhesive, etc.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, the tape member 6 is wound aroundthe assembled article 5 with an inclination angle of not less than 30°and not more than 60° with respect to the longitudinal direction of thecable. Hereinafter, an inclination angle of tape member 6 with respectto the longitudinal direction of the cable (an angle formed between thelongitudinal direction of the tape member 6 and the longitudinaldirection of the cable at a given portion of the tape member 6 in thelongitudinal direction when viewing this portion from the radialdirection) is referred to as a winding angle of the tape member 6. Whenthe winding angle of the tape member 6 is less than 30°, the cable 1 hasless flexibility and is less likely to be bent since the tape member 6becomes close to the longitudinally wrapped state, and also, it is hardto tear the tape member 6 since it is necessity to pull the tape member6 in the longitudinal direction to tear the tape member 6 at the time ofstripping work, and stripping work efficiency decreases. On the otherhand, when the winding angle of the tape member 6 is more than 60°, itis difficult to remove the tape member 6 at the time of stripping worksince the number of turns of the tape member 6 increases and the overlapwidth of the tape member 6 also increases, and also, creases are likelyto be formed on the tape member 6. The winding angle of the tape member6 can be adjusted by changing the width and the overlap width of thetape member 6.

A winding pitch P3 of the tape member 6, i.e., a distance along alongitudinal direction of the cable 1 between points at which the tapemember 6 is located at the same circumferential position (e.g., adistance between the widthwise edges), depends on the width of the tapemember 6 and the overlap width (a winding angle of the tape member 6)and is up to about 40 mm in this case. The winding pitch P3 of the tapemember 6 here is about 30 mm, but the winding pitch P3 of the tapemember 6 is not limited thereto. When the winding pitch P3 of the tapemember 6 is increased, the tape member 6 becomes close to thelongitudinally wrapped state and this may cause a decrease inflexibility or in strip work efficiency. Therefore, the winding pitch P3of the tape member 6 is desirably not more than 40 mm.

It is desirable to use the tape member 6 which is slidable (has a lowfriction coefficient) with respect to the first insulation 22 of thefirst electric wire 2 and the second insulation 32 of the secondelectric wire 3 so that an unwanted stress applied to the electric wires2 and 3 when the cable is bent is reduced. In more detail, a material ofthe tape member 6 is selected so that the friction coefficient(coefficient of static friction) between the tape member 6 and theinsulations 22 and 32 is lower than the friction coefficient(coefficient of static friction) between the sheath 7 and theinsulations 22 and 32 without interposition of the tape member 6.

The cable 1 in the present embodiment uses the tape member 6 which isconfigured that surface roughness is different between a surface on theassembled article 5 side and a surface on the sheath 7 side, and thesurface on the sheath 7 side is rougher (has a larger surface roughness)than the surface on the assembled article 5 side.

Since the tape member 6 has a rough surface on the sheath 7 side, aresin constituting the sheath 7 gets into microscopic recesses on thesurface of the tape member 6 on the sheath 7 side, and adhesion betweenthe tape member 6 and the sheath 7 is improved by the anchor effect. Asa result, when stripping the sheath 7, the sheath 7 and the tape member6 do not separate from each other and can be easily removed together (inthe integrated state), and stripping work efficiency is thus improved.

In addition, since the tape member 6 has a small surface roughness onthe surface on the assembled article 5 side, the assembled article 5 canslide easily with respect to the tape member 6. Therefore, stressapplied to the electric wires 2 and 3 when the cable is bent is reducedand flex durability is thus improved. Furthermore, since the assembledarticle 5 becomes slidable with respect to the tape member 6, it is easyto separate the sheath 7 and the tape member 6 from the assembledarticle 5 by pulling at the time of stripping work and stripping workefficiency is further improved.

The tape member 6 can be formed of, e.g., a non-woven fabric, paper suchas Japanese paper, or resin (resin film, etc.).

When the tape member 6 is formed of a non-woven fabric, it is desirableto use a non-woven fabric which is formed of polyester, polypropylene,aramid fiber, nylon, acrylic fiber or glass fiber. In this case, thetape member 6 is less likely to absorb moisture and it is thus possibleto prevent a phenomenon in which water evaporates from the tape member 6due to heat during when applying the sheath 7 and causes foaming of thesheath 7. In addition, the tape member 6 when formed of a non-wovenfabric desirably has an air permeability of not less than 30 cc/cm²/secand not more than 200 cc/cm²/sec. This is because when the airpermeability is less than 30 cc/cm²/sec, the air containing water vaporis likely to be trapped in a space covered with the tape member 6, andthe trapped air is blown out all at once through open spaces of thenonwoven fabric or the overlapping portions of the tape member 6 due toheat during when applying the sheath 7 and may cause foaming of thesheath 7. On the other hand, when the air permeability is larger than200 cc/cm²/sec, the sheath 7 may partially penetrate through the tapemember 6, reach the electric wires 2 and 3 during when applying thesheath 7 and adhere to the electric wires 2 and 3, causing a decrease inworkability at the time of termination.

It is also possible to use the tape member 6 formed by laminating two ormore layers of different materials in a thickness direction, i.e., thetape member 6 having a laminated structure composed of not less than twolayers. In this case, the tape member 6 is configured so that a surfaceto be in contact with the assembled article 5 is formed of any one of anon-woven fabric, a paper or a resin layer. For example, it can beconfigured such that the tape member 6 is formed by providing a resinlayer formed of PET (polyethylene terephthalate), etc., on one side of apaper and is wound with the resin layer having a lower frictioncoefficient on the assembled article 5 side.

The tape member 6 may be further provided with an adhesive layer whichis adhered to the surface on the sheath 7 side by lamination, etc., andis thermally bonded to the sheath 7 by heat during when applying thesheath 7. This makes the tape member 6 and the sheath 7 further lesslikely to separate from each other, and the stripping work efficiency isfurther improved. The adhesive layer is integrally provided on the tapemember 6, but is regarded as a separate member from the tape member 6 inthe present embodiment. That is, when the adhesive layer is provided,the surface of the tape member 6 on the sheath 7 side means the surfaceadhered to the adhesive layer. In addition, when the adhesive layer isprovided, the tape member 6 may be configured such that surfaceroughness of the surface on the sheath 7 side is the same as that of thesurface on the assembled article 5 side.

Twist Directions of the Twisted-Pair Wire 4 and the Assembled Article 5and Winding Direction of the Tape Member 6

The cable 1 of the present embodiment is configured that the twistdirection of the twisted-pair wire 4 is different from the twistdirection of the assembled article 5, and the twist direction of theassembled article 5 is different from the winding direction of the tapemember 6. In other words, in the cable 1, the twist direction of thetwisted-pair wire 4 and the winding direction of the tape member 6 arethe same and only the twist direction of the assembled article 5 isdifferent.

The twist direction of the twisted-pair wire 4 here is a direction thatthe second electric wires 3 rotate from the base end toward the frontend in the circumferential direction of the twisted-pair wire 4 when thecable 1 is viewed from the front end side (the left side of FIG. 2B, onthe side where the tape member 6 overlaps upon itself). Meanwhile, thetwist direction of the assembled article 5 is a direction that thetwisted-pair wire 4 and the first electric wires 2 rotate from the baseend toward the front end in the circumferential direction of theassembled article 5 when the cable 1 is viewed from the front end side(the left side of FIG. 2B, on the side where the tape member 6 overlapsupon itself). In this example, the twist direction of the twisted-pairwire 4 is the right rotation (clockwise) and the twist direction of theassembled article 5 is the left rotation (counterclockwise).

Meanwhile, the winding direction of the tape member 6 is a directionthat the tape member 6 rotates from the base end toward the front endwhen the cable 1 is viewed from the front end side (the left side ofFIG. 2B, on the side where the tape member 6 overlaps upon itself). Inthis example, the winding direction of the tape member 6 is the rightrotation (clockwise). The cross section as viewed from the front endside is shown in FIG. 2A in which the twist direction of thetwisted-pair wire 4 is indicated by a dashed arrow A, the twistdirection of the assembled article 5 is indicated by a dashed arrow Band the winding direction of the tape member 6 is indicated by a dashedarrow C.

In general, when twisting electric wires together or spirally winding atape, a kink is formed according to the twist direction or the windingdirection and the entire cable curves spontaneously. In the presentembodiment, the twist direction of the twisted pair wire 4 is differentfrom the twist direction of the assembled article 5 and also the twistdirection of the assembled article 5 is different from the windingdirection of the tape member 6. Therefore, the kink of the twisted pairwire 4 and the kink of the assembled article 5 are in the oppositedirections and thus cancel out each other, and also, the kink of theassembled article 5 and the kink caused by winding the tape member 6 arein the opposite directions and thus cancel out each other, and it isthereby possible to easily realize a straight cable 1 which is preventedfrom kinking up. As a result, it is possible to reduce variation inbending properties in the longitudinal direction of the cable 1.

In case that the twist direction of the twisted pair wire 4 is the sameas the twist direction of the assembled article 5, the twisted pair wire4 may be distorted in a direction of tightening the twist when twistingthe assembled article 5, causing a change in the twist pitch P1 of thetwisted pair wire 4. Differing the twist direction of the twisted pairwire 4 from the twist direction of the assembled article 5 allows theassembled article 5 to be formed while suppressing a change in the twistpitch P1 of the twisted pair wire 4.

In this regard, however, if the twist pitch P1 of the twisted pair wire4 is large, the twist of the twisted pair wire 4 may loosen whentwisting the assembled article 5. Therefore, the twist pitch P1 of thetwisted pair wire 4 is desirably smaller than at least the twist pitchP2 of the assembled article 5. In other words, when the twist directionof the twisted pair wire 4 is different from the twist direction of theassembled article 5, adjusting the twist pitch P1 of the twisted pairwire 4 to smaller than the twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5allows the twist of the twisted pair wire 4 to be less likely to unraveland it is thereby possible to stabilize the cross sectional shape of theassembled article 5.

In the present embodiment, since the kink caused by winding the tapemember 6 is used to straighten the kink of the assembled article 5, thewinding pitch P3 of the tape member 6 needs to be small enough to causea kink. Therefore, the winding pitch P3 of the tape member 6 isdesirably smaller than at least the twist pitch P2 of the assembledarticle 5. In the present embodiment, the twist pitch P1 of the twistedpair wire 4 is about 30 mm, the twist pitch P2 of the assembled article5 is about 60 mm and the winding pitch P3 of the tape member 6 is about30 mm.

In addition, the winding pitch P3 of the tape member 6 only needs to benot less than the twist pitch P1 of the twisted pair wire 4. In such aconfiguration, it is possible to reduce distortion of the tape member 6at a portion in contact with the twisted pair wire 4 and it is easy toform the cable 1 having a circular cross sectional shape.

If the winding pitch P3 of the tape member 6 is smaller than the twistpitch P1 of the twisted-pair wire 4, the tape member 6 with the smallwinding pitch P3 stretches and contracts in the longitudinal directionwhen bending the cable 1 and is less likely to receive a load caused bythe bending, and the load caused by the bending is concentrated on thetwisted-pair wire 4 which has the large twist pitch P1 and is lesslikely to stretch and contract. When the winding pitch P3 of the tapemember 6 is not less than the twist pitch P1 of the twisted-pair wire 4,it is possible to partially distribute the load caused by the bending tothe tape member 6 so that the load caused by the bending is preventedfrom being concentrated on the twisted-pair wire 4, thereby improvingflex resistance.

In addition, since the twist direction of the assembled article 5 isdifferent from the winding direction of the tape member 6, the twistpitch P2 of the assembled article 5 is less likely to change whenwinding the tape member 6 and it is thereby possible to stabilize thetwist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5.

Furthermore, by differentiating the twist direction of the assembledarticle 5 from the winding direction of the tape member 6, the tapemember 6 is prevented from entering a gap between the twisted-pair wire4 and the first electric wire 2 or between the first electric wires 2and it is thereby possible to form the cable 1 having a cross sectionalshape closer to a circle. This results in improving the outer appearanceof the cable 1 and also allows the sheath 7 to be easily stripped andremoved. Since the kink is reduced in the cable 1 as described above,the sheath 7 is stripped and removed more easily.

Furthermore, by differentiating the twist direction of the assembledarticle 5 from the winding direction of the tape member 6, a directionlikely to cause buckling of the assembled article 5 can be differentfrom a direction likely to cause buckling of the tape member 6.Therefore, it is possible to realize the cable 1 which is less likely tobuckle even when, e.g., twist and bend are simultaneously applied to thecable 1.

Description of Wire Harness Using the Cable 1

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a wire harnessin the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, a wire harness 10 is composed of the cable 1 in thepresent embodiment and a connector attached to at least one of endportions of the electric wires 2 and 3.

In FIG. 3, an end portion on the wheel 102 side is shown on the leftside and an end portion on the vehicle body 105 side (the junction box106 side) is shown on the right side. In the following description, anend of the wire harness 10 on the wheel 102 side is referred to as “oneend” and another end on the vehicle body 105 side (the junction box 106side) is referred to as “other end”.

A wheel-side power connector 11 a for connection to the EPB motor 101 ais attached to one end of the pair of first electric wires 2, and avehicle body-side power connector 11 b for connection to the wire group107 inside the junction box 106 is attached to the other end of the pairof first electric wires 2.

The ABS sensor 104 a is attached to one end of the pair of secondelectric wires 3 (the twisted-pair wire 4), and a vehicle body-side ABSconnector 12 for connection to the wire group 107 inside the junctionbox 106 is attached to the other end of the pair of second electricwires 3 (the twisted pair wire 4).

Although the separate connectors are provided on the first electricwires 2 and the second electric wires 3 (the twisted-pair wire 4) inthis example, one dedicated connector may be provided so that bothelectric wires 2 and 3 are connected all together.

Functions and Effects of the Embodiment

As described above, the cable 1 in the present embodiment is providedwith the tape member 6 spirally wound around the assembled article 5,the thickness of the tape member 6 is not less than 0.028 mm and notmore than 0.090 mm, a width of the tape member 6 is not less than 18 mmand not more than 35 mm, the tape member 6 is spirally wound with anoverlap of not less than ¼ and not more than ½ of the width thereof, anda tensile strength of the tape member 6 is different between thelongitudinal direction and the width direction and is smaller in thewidth direction than in the longitudinal direction.

Providing the tape member 6 can reduce friction between the electricwires 2, 3 and the sheath 7 without using a lubricant such as talcpowder, and thus reduces stress applied to the electric wires 2 and 3when being bent, and it is thereby possible to improve flex resistance.That is, in the present embodiment, it is possible to preventdeterioration of working environment during cable termination whilemaintaining flex resistance of the cable.

The tape member 6 has a thickness of not less than 0.028 mm and not morethan 0.090 mm, a width of not less than 18 mm and not more than 35 mm,the overlap width of not less than ¼ and not more than ½ of the tapewidth, and the tensile strength which is smaller in the width directionthan in the longitudinal direction. Due to this configuration, while thetape member 6 is prevented from being broken at the time of winding, thetape member 6 can be easily torn at the time of cable termination andthis improves stripping work to remove the sheath 7 and the tape member6.

Furthermore, in the cable 1 of the present embodiment, the tape member 6is configured that surface roughness is different between the surface onthe assembled article 5 side and the surface on the sheath 7 side, andthe surface on the sheath 7 side has a larger surface roughness than thesurface on the assembled article 5 side. By configuring the tape member6 to have a larger surface roughness on the surface on the sheath 7 sidethan the surface on the assembled article 5 side, it is possible toincrease adhesion between the tape member 6 and the sheath 7 and thus toimprove stripping work efficiency, and it is also possible to make theassembled article 5 (the electric wires 2 and 3) slidable with respectto the tape member 6 and thus to improve flex durability.

In addition, in the cable 1, by differentiating the twist direction ofthe twisted-pair wire 4 from the twist direction of the assembledarticle 5 and also differing the twist direction of the assembledarticle 5 from the winding direction of the tape member 6, the kink dueto the twisting or the winding of the tape member 6 can be reduced andit is also possible to stabilize the twist pitches P1 and P2 of thetwisted pair-wire 4 and the assembled article 5. As a result, it ispossible to reduce variation in bending properties, and also,flexibility in the longitudinal direction is stabilized and it isthereby possible to realize the cable 1 which is easy to route.Furthermore, since it is possible to form the cable 1 having a crosssectional shape closer to a circle, the sheath 7 can be stripped moreeasily.

Other Embodiments

A cable 1 a shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B is based on the cable 1 shown inFIG. 2 but is further provided with a second twisted-pair wire 9 whichis formed by twisting a pair of third electric wires 8.

The third electric wire 8 may be a signal line used for a temperature oran air pressure sensor for detecting air pressure of a tire, etc., ormay be a damper wire used to control a damping device of the vehicle100, or moreover, may be a signal line for controlling the EMB (a CANcable, etc.).

The third electric wire 8 has a third conductor 81 and a thirdinsulation 82 covering the third conductor 81. The third conductor 81 isconstructed from a stranded conductor formed by twisting highlyconductive strands of copper, etc., and the third insulation 82 isformed of an insulating resin such as cross-linked polyethylene. Strandshaving a diameter of not less than 0.05 mm and not more than 0.30 mm canbe used to form the third conductor 81, in the same manner as the firstconductor 21.

The third electric wire 8 has a smaller outer diameter than the firstelectric wire 2. From the viewpoint of making the outer diameter of thecable 1 a close to a circular shape, it is desirable to use the thirdelectric wire 8 which is about half the outer diameter of the firstelectric wire 2 in the same manner as the second electric wire 3, and itis possible to use the third electric wire 8 having an outer diameterof, e.g., not less than 1.0 mm and not more than 1.8 mm.

The third electric wire 8 used in this example has the third conductor81 with a conductor cross-sectional area of not less than 0.30 mm² andnot more than 0.50 mm². Since the conductor cross-sectional area of thesecond conductor 31 is not less than 0.13 mm² and not more than 0.30 mm²as previously described, the third electric wire 8 has a largercross-sectional area than the second electric wire 3 in the cable 1 a.However, the second electric wire 3 and the third electric wire 8 mayhave the same conductor cross-sectional area. From the viewpoint ofmaking the cross sectional shape of the cable 1 a closer to a circularshape, it is desirable that the outer diameters of the second electricwire 3 and the third electric wire 8 be substantially the same (e.g., adifference in outer diameter between the second electric wire 3 and thethird electric wire 8 is within 20% of the outer diameter of the secondelectric wire 3).

The twist direction of the second twisted-pair wire 9 is the same as thetwist direction of the twisted-pair wire 4. The twist direction of thesecond twisted-pair wire 9 here is a direction that the third electricwire 8 rotates from the base end toward the front end in thecircumferential direction of the second twisted-pair wire 9 when thecable 1 a is viewed from the front end side (the left side of FIG. 4B,on the side where the tape member 6 overlaps upon itself). As indicatedby the a dashed arrow D in FIG. 4A, the twist direction of the secondtwisted-pair wire 9 in the cable 1 a is different from the twistdirection of the assembled article 5 and is the same as the windingdirection of the tape member 6.

Meanwhile, a twist pitch P4 of the second twisted-pair wire 9 issubstantially the same as the twist pitch P1 of the twisted-pair wire 4.Alternatively, the twist pitches P1 and P4 of the twisted-pair wires 4and 9 may be different from each other. The twist pitch P4 of the secondtwisted-pair wire 9 is a distance along a longitudinal direction of thesecond twisted-pair wire 9 between points at which a given thirdelectric wire 8 is located at the same position in a circumferentialdirection of the second twisted-pair wire 9.

The second twisted-pair wire 9 is arranged in one of spaces between thepair of first electric wires 2 in the circumferential direction in whichthe twisted-pair wire 4 is not arranged. The second twisted-pair wire 9is arranged so as to get into a triangle boundary area between the pairof first electric wires 2. In the cross section shown in FIG. 4A, one ofthe first electric wires 2, the second twisted-pair wire 9, the otherfirst electric wire 2 and the twisted-pair wire 4 are arranged clockwisein this order.

In the cable 1 a which is provided with two twisted-pair wires 4 and 9,when, for example, the first electric wires 2 are arranged adjacent toeach other in the circumferential direction (when the two twisted-pairwires 4 and 9 are arranged adjacent to each other), the center ofgravity of the assembled article 5 largely shifts from the centerposition of the assembled article 5, and the assembled article 5 formedby twisting the two twisted-pair wires 4 and 5 and the first electricwires 2 in such a state is entirely distorted. In this case, it isdifficult to manufacture a straight cable 1 and there is also a problemthat the cable is not flexible in some directions at some portions in alongitudinal direction, resulting in a decrease in flexibility. Byarranging the twisted-pair wire 4 and the second twisted-pair wire 9each in a space between the first electric wires 2 in thecircumferential direction as in the present embodiment, it is possibleto easily realize the straight cable 1 and also to suppress a decreasein flexibility since a defect such as non-flexibility in some directionsat some portions in the longitudinal direction is prevented fromoccurring.

In addition, in the cable 1 a, the twisted-pair wire 4 and the secondtwisted-pair wire 9 are separated by the pair of first electric wires 2which supply a drive current to the EPB 101 mainly after the vehicle isstopped. This can reduce crosstalk between the twisted-pair wire 4 andthe second twisted-pair wire 9 even when shield conductors around thetwisted-pair wires 4 and 9 are omitted.

Also in case of the cable 1 a which is further provided with the secondtwisted-pair wire 9, the tape member 6 is configured that tensilestrength in the width direction is smaller than in the longitudinaldirection. Therefore, while the tape member 6 is prevented from beingbroken at the time of winding, the tape member 6 can be easily torn atthe time of cable termination and this improves stripping work to removethe sheath 7 and the tape member 6.

In addition, also in case of the cable 1 a which is further providedwith the second twisted-pair wire 9, by configuring the tape member 6 tohave a larger surface roughness on the surface on the sheath 7 side thanthe surface on the assembled article 5 side, it is possible to increaseadhesion between the tape member 6 and the sheath 7 and thus to improvestripping work efficiency, and it is also possible to make the assembledarticle 5 (the electric wires 2, 3 and 8) slidable with respect to thetape member 6 and thus to improve flex durability of the cable 1 a.

A cable 1 b shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B is the same as the cable 1 shown inFIGS. 2A and 2B, except that the twist direction of the assembledarticle 5 (indicated by a dashed arrow B) is opposite.

In other words, the cable 1 b is configured that the twist direction ofthe twisted-pair wire 4, the twist direction of the assembled article 5and the winding direction of the tape member 6 are the same.

Since the twist direction of the twisted-pair wire 4, the twistdirection of the assembled article 5 and the winding direction of thetape member 6 are the same, the twist of the assembled article 5spontaneously unravels by unwinding the tape member 6 when terminatingthe cable and the twist of the twisted-pair wire 4 then spontaneouslyunravels by the unraveling of the twist of the assembled article 5, andit is easy to unravel the electric wires 2 and 3. This improvesdisassemblability of the cable 1 b and thereby improves cabletermination workability.

In addition, since the twist direction of the twisted-pair wire 4, thetwist direction of the assembled article 5 and the winding direction ofthe tape member 6 are the same, the twisted-pair wire 4, the assembledarticle 5 and the tape member 6 are loosened or tightened synchronouslywhen the cable 1 b is distorted, and it is thereby possible to improvedistortion resistance.

If, on the other hand, for example, the twist direction of the assembledarticle 5 is opposite to the winding direction of the tape member 6, andwhen the cable 1 b is distorted in a direction in which the assembledarticle 5 is loosened (in which the diameter of the assembled article 5is increased), the tape member 6 is tightened (the diameter of the tapemember 6 is reduced) since the twist direction of the assembled article5 is opposite to the winding direction of the tape member 6. At thistime, the assembled article 5 being loosened is squeezed by the tapemember 6. Thus, stress is applied to the assembled article 5, resultingin that an excessive load is applied to a portion of the twisted-pairwire 4. In the present embodiment, the twist direction of thetwisted-pair wire 4, the twist direction of the assembled article 5 andthe winding direction of the tape member 6 are configured to be the sameso that the twisted-pair wire 4, the assembled article 5 and the tapemember 6 are loosened or tightened synchronously. This allows thecomposite cable 1 b to have improved distortion resistance.

Furthermore, since the twist direction of the twisted-pair wire 4 arethe same as the twist direction of the assembled article 5, theassembled article 5 is twisted such that the twisted-pair wire 4 and thefirst electric wires 2 are twisted together in a direction along thekink on the twisted-pair wire 4 caused by twisting the two secondelectric wires 3. Therefore, when the cable 1 b is bent, thetwisted-pair wire 4 and the assembled article 5 elongate or contractsynchronously in the longitudinal direction of the composite cable 1 b.This allows the cable 1 b to be bent easily and it is thereby possibleto improve flexibility of the cable 1 b.

In the cable 1 b, the assembled article 5 is formed by twisting in adirection along the kink on the twisted-pair wire 4. Therefore, when thesheath 7 is not manually unwound but the sheath 7 and the tape member 6are removed together by a dedicated stripping tool, etc., thetwisted-pair wire 4 and the first electric wires 2 tend to remain in thetwisted state because of the influence of the kink on the twisted-pairwire 4. Stripping work is carried out in several stages when the removallength of the sheath 7 for cable termination is long. In case of thecable 1 b, since the twisted state of the twisted-pair wire 4 and thefirst electric wires 2 is maintained after each stripping work, thestripping work can be easily carried out in several stages.

In the cable 1 b in which the twist direction of the twisted-pair wire 4is the same as the twist direction of the assembled article 5, if thetwist pitch P1 of the twisted-pair wire 4 is the same as the twist pitchP2 of the assembled article 5, the position of the first electric wires2 relative to the second electric wires 3 is always the same throughoutthe longitudinal direction and this may cause the deformed appearance ofthe cable 1 b. Therefore, the twist pitch P1 of the twisted-pair wire 4is desirably different from the twist pitch P2 of the assembled article5 (more specifically, the twist pitch P1 of the twisted-pair wire 4 issmaller than the twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5 by not lessthan 10% and not more than 80% of the twist pitch P2 of the assembledarticle 5). When the twist pitches pitch P1 of the twisted-pair wire 4is larger than the twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5, the twistpitch P1 of the twisted-pair wire 4 may change at the time of twistingthe assembled article 5. Therefore, the twist pitch P1 of thetwisted-pair wire 4 is desirably smaller than at least the twist pitch 2of the assembled article 5.

When the twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5 is reduced, the cable1 b becomes more flexible and is easily bent but distortion resistancedecreases due to the reduced looseness of the twist. On the other hand,when the twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5 is increased,distortion resistance is improved but flexibility decreases. In thecable 1 b, since a load is dispersed by synchronously loosening ortightening the twisted-pair wire 4, the assembled article 5 and the tapemember 6 when being distorted, it is possible to provide enoughdistortion resistance even when the twist pitch P2 of the assembledarticle 5 is reduced to improve flexibility.

When the twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5 is the same as thewinding pitch P3 of the tape member 6, the tape member 6 is likely toenter a gap between the twisted-pair wire 4 and the first electric wires2 or between the pair of first electric wires 2 due to pressuregenerated when covering the outer periphery of the tape member 6 withthe sheath 7, which may cause the assembled article 5 with the tapemember 6 wound therearound to have a deformed cross sectional shape andthus a poor outer appearance, or may cause the assembled article 5 to beless likely to slide inside the tape member 6 and thus a decrease inflexibility. Therefore, the winding pitch P3 of the tape member 6 isdesirably different from the twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5(more specifically, the winding pitch P3 of the tape member 6 is smallerthan the twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5 by not less than 10%and not more than 80% of the twist pitch P2 of the assembled article 5).

The winding pitch P3 of the tape member 6 only needs to be not less thanthe twist pitch P1 of the twisted-pair wire 4. In such a configuration,it is possible to reduce distortion of the tape member 6 at a portion incontact with the twisted-pair wire 4 and it is easy to form the cable 1b having a circular cross sectional shape.

A cable 1 c shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B is based on the cable 1 b shown inFIGS. 5A and 5B but is further provided with the second twisted-pairwire 9 which is formed by twisting a pair of third electric wires 8. Inother words, the cable 1 c is the same as the cable 1 a except that thetwist direction of the assembled article 5 (indicated by a dashed arrowB) is opposite.

Also in case of the cable 1 c which is provided with the secondtwisted-pair wire 9, the twist directions of the twisted-pair wires 4and 9, the twist direction of the assembled article 5 and the windingdirection of the tape member 6 are the same. This makes easy to unravelthe electric wires 2, 3 and 8, thereby improving disassemblability,cable termination workability and distortion resistance.

Summary of the Embodiments

Technical ideas understood from the embodiment will be described belowciting the reference numerals, etc., used for the embodiment. However,each reference numeral, etc., described below is not intended to limitthe constituent elements in the claims to the members, etc.,specifically described in the embodiment.

[1] A cable (1), comprising: a plurality of electric wires (2, 3); and atape member (6) spirally wound around an assembled article (5) that isformed by twisting the plurality of electric wires (2, 3), wherein thethickness of the tape member (6) is not less than 0.028 mm and not morethan 0.090 mm, a width of the tape member (6) is not less than 18 mm andnot more than 35 mm, the tape member (6) is spirally wound with anoverlap of not less than ¼ and not more than ½ of the width thereof; anda tensile strength of the tape member (6) is different between thelongitudinal direction and the width direction and is smaller in thewidth direction than in the longitudinal direction.

[2] The cable (1) defined by [1], wherein the tape member (6) is woundaround the assembled article (5) with an inclination angle of not lessthan 30° and not more than 60° with respect to the longitudinaldirection of the cable.

[3] The cable (1) defined by [1] or [2], wherein the plurality ofelectric wires (2, 3) comprise a pair of first electric wires (2) andone or two twisted-pair wires (4) each formed by twisting a pair ofsecond electric wires (3) having a smaller outer diameter than the firstelectric wires (2) and arranged between the pair of first electric wires(2) in a circumferential direction, a twist direction of the twistedpair wire (4) is different from a twist direction of the assembledarticle (5) and the twist direction of the assembled article (5) isdifferent from a winding direction of the tape member (6).

[4] The cable (1 b) defined by [1] or [2], wherein the plurality ofelectric wires (2, 3) comprise a pair of first electric wires (2) andone or two twisted-pair wires (4) each formed by twisting a pair ofsecond electric wires (3) having a smaller outer diameter than the firstelectric wires (2) and arranged between the pair of first electric wires(2) in a circumferential direction, and the twist direction of thetwisted-pair wire (4) and the twist direction of the assembled article(5) and the winding direction of the tape member (6) are the same.

[5] The cable (1) defined by any one of [1] to [4], wherein the tapemember (6) is configured so that the tensile strength in the widthdirection is not more than ⅔ of the tensile strength in the longitudinaldirection.

[6] A wire harness (10), comprising: the cable (1) defined by any one of[1] to [5]; and a connector attached to at least one of end portions ofthe electric wires (2, 3).

[7] A cable (1), comprising: a plurality of electric wires (2, 3); atape member (6) spirally wound around an assembled article (5) that isformed by twisting the plurality of electric wires (2, 3); and a sheath(7) covering the tape member (6), wherein surface roughness of the tapemember (6) is different between a surface on the assembled article (5)side and a surface on the sheath (7) side, and the surface on the sheath(7) side has a larger surface roughness than the surface on theassembled article (5) side.

[8] The cable (1) defined by [7], wherein the thickness of the tapemember (6) is not less than 0.028 mm and not more than 0.090 mm, a widthof the tape member (6) is not less than 18 mm and not more than 35 mm,the tape member (6) is spirally wound with an overlap of not less than ¼and not more than ½ of the width thereof, and a tensile strength of thetape member (6) is different between the longitudinal direction and thewidth direction and is smaller in the width direction than in thelongitudinal direction.

[9] The cable (1) defined by [7] or [8], wherein the plurality ofelectric wires (2, 3) comprise a pair of first electric wires (2) andone or two twisted-pair wires (4) each formed by twisting a pair ofsecond electric wires (3) having a smaller outer diameter than the firstelectric wires (2) and arranged between the pair of first electric wires(2) in a circumferential direction, a twist direction of the twistedpair wire (4) is different from a twist direction of the assembledarticle (5), and the twist direction of the assembled article (5) isdifferent from a winding direction of the tape member (6).

[10] The cable (1 b) defined by [7] or [8], wherein the plurality ofelectric wires (2, 3) comprise a pair of first electric wires (2) andone or two twisted-pair wires (4) each formed by twisting a pair ofsecond electric wires (3) having a smaller outer diameter than the firstelectric wires (2) and arranged between the pair of first electric wires(2) in a circumferential direction, and the twist direction of thetwisted-pair wire (4) and the twist direction of the assembled article(5) and the winding direction of the tape member (6) are the same.

[11] The cable (1) defined by any one of [7] to [10], furthercomprising: an adhesive layer adhered to the surface of the tape member(6) on the sheath (7) side and thermally bonded to the sheath (7).

[12] The cable (1) defined by any one of [7] to [11], wherein the tapemember (6) is formed by laminating two or more layers of differentmaterials in a thickness direction.

[13] A wire harness (10), comprising: the cable (1) defined by any oneof [7] to [12]; and a connector attached to at least one of end portionsof the electric wires (2, 3).

Although the embodiment of the invention has been described, theinvention according to claims is not to be limited to the embodimentdescribed above. Further, please note that all combinations of thefeatures described in the embodiment are not necessary to solve theproblem of the invention.

The invention can be appropriately modified and implemented withoutdeparting from the gist thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cable, comprising: a plurality of electricwires; and a tape member spirally wound around an assembled article thatis formed by twisting the plurality of electric wires, wherein thethickness of the tape member is not less than 0.028 mm and not more than0.090 mm, a width of the tape member is not less than 18 mm and not morethan 35 mm, the tape member is spirally wound with an overlap of notless than ¼ and not more than ½ of the width thereof, and a tensilestrength of the tape member is different between the longitudinaldirection and the width direction and is smaller in the width directionthan in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the plurality ofelectric wires comprise a pair of first electric wires and one or twotwisted-pair wires each formed by twisting a pair of second electricwires having a smaller outer diameter than the first electric wires andarranged between the pair of first electric wires in a circumferentialdirection, a twist direction of the twisted pair wire is different froma twist direction of the assembled article, and the twist direction ofthe assembled article is different from a winding direction of the tapemember.
 2. The cable according to claim 1, wherein the tape member iswound around the assembled article with an inclination angle of not lessthan 30° and not more than 60° with respect to the longitudinaldirection of the cable.
 3. The cable according to claim 1, wherein thetape member is configured so that the tensile strength in the widthdirection is not more than ⅔ of the tensile strength in the longitudinaldirection.
 4. A wire harness, comprising: the cable according to claim1; and a connector attached to at least one of end portions of theelectric wires.
 5. A cable, comprising: a plurality of electric wires;and a tape member spirally wound around an assembled article that isformed by twisting the plurality of electric wires, wherein thethickness of the tape member is not less than 0.028 mm and not more than0.090 mm, a width of the tape member is not less than 18 mm and not morethan 35 mm, the tape member is spirally wound with an overlap of notless than ¼ and not more than ½ of the width thereof, and a tensilestrength of the tape member is different between the longitudinaldirection and the width direction and is smaller in the width directionthan in the longitudinal direction, and wherein surface roughness of thetape member is different between a surface on the assembled article sideand a surface on the sheath side and, the surface on the sheath side hasa larger surface roughness than the surface on the assembled articleside.
 6. The cable according to claim 5, further comprising an adhesivelayer adhered to the surface of the tape member on the sheath side andthermally bonded to the sheath.
 7. The cable according to claim 5,wherein the tape member is formed by laminating two or more layers ofdifferent materials in a thickness direction.
 8. The cable according toclaim 1, wherein the tape member comprises a nonwoven fabric ofpolyester, polypropylene, aramid fiber, nylon, acrylic fiber or glassfiber, and air permeability of the tape member is not less than 30cc/cm2/sec and not more than 200 cc/cm2/sec.
 9. The cable according toclaim 1, wherein the tape member comprises paper.